LEXINGTON, Ky. (12/16/13) — It was a disappointing weekend for the UK Wildcats when they took a loss to No. 18 North Carolina Saturday night 82-77. Kentucky is now 8-3 for the season, but still has a long road ahead of them.

“What we are right now is, we’re not a good basketball team, and we’re not a good team because our emotion is based on individual play instead of our team play,” Calipari said. “If you want to keep losing, keep acting that way. It doesn’t matter how bad I want them to get it, they got to want it.”

The question isn’t if the team has talent, but where their head is at this point in the season, said Calipari. Freshman James Young believes that the team together needs to channel its focus and energy better.

“I just think it’s a lack of concentration and focus on our half. It just seems that we get a little tired or fatigued, just lose focus,” said Young. “We just got to get better at that.”

In the second half, UNC was shooting 57 percent, and by the end of the game their loss opened Calipari’s eyes on what the team needs to work on next.

“My hope was we would be like the best team in the last 12 years. Reality says, 'Until they get knocked in the teeth a couple times and then accept responsibility for what happened, nothing will change,'” said Calipari. “UNC deserved to win the game. They played well. They fought like crazy. They played physical. I thought we did enough to keep ourselves in the game and gave ourselves a chance to win but lost it in three minutes.”

The Cats will take on the Belmont Bruins this Saturday at Rupp Arena. Belmont has an 8-3 season as well so the match up game should be interesting. Tip-off is 12 p.m.